Duplicating machine



Aug. 2, 1932.

L. J. SAUER DUPLICATING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 (WW0 rnez s.

5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 29, 1930 WW I/14) 7' 25/ 9 35 Aug. 2, 1932. 1.. J. sAuER 1 DUPLICATING MACHINE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3' Filed May 29, 1930 WMM Aug. 2, 1932. L. J. sAuER DUPLICATING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 1512167? fo r Z; 0&(16 d, Jamel;

Aug. 2, 1932. s uE 1,869,507

DUPLICATING MACHINE Filed May 29, 1930 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 [772/ emor:

Z010 MAS ue W n/mega.

Patented Aug. 2, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT FFlcE LOUIS J. SAUEB, OF OAK PARK, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO CHARLES H. JOY, $3., OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOISv DUPLICATING MACHINE Application filed May 29, 1930. Serial No. 457,234.

My invention relates toautomatic paper feeding and aligning devices for duplicating machines, with special reference to that class of machines provided with a flat gelatinized printing surface over which a carriage having a suitable platen roller is arranged to travel. 7 a

My invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with machines similar to 10 that shown and described in my co-pending application, Serial No. 349,87 6, filed March 25, 1929, in whichpaper or suitable cards are inserted in the carriage and the platen roller impresses the original or the copy sheet on the gelatinized surface, whichireceives the impression from the original sheet and transfers it to the copy sheet.

In positioning the original or the copy sheets on the gelatinized surface, it is necessary that the paper be accurately aligned with relation to the platen roller and the printing surface and that the sheets'be fed to the surface and under the platen roller in such a manner that a suitable margin will i result. It is also desirable that means be provided whereby the original may be impressed on the printing surface in any suitable longi--v tudinal position and that the copy sheets may thereafter be fed into the machineand automatically positioned relative to the printing surface to provide a suitable margin on the copies. Heretofore, machines of this type have been unsatisfactory and unreliable; also, when previous methods are used and stiff cards or paper are inserted in vthemachine, the sharp edge of the paper causes injury to the gelatin printing surface. In my invention, I have overcome these and other objections and have provided an accurate and convenient means for feeding paper or comparatively stiff cards to the printing bed in such a manner that there is'no tendency toinjure the gelatine surface and have also provided an accurate aligning means for aligning the paper with the impression on the printing bed. Y

The embodiment of my invention which will be later described in detail, contemplates a duplicating machine having a carriage for movement back and forth over a printing bed, and in which is mounted the usual plat en roller which latter is automatically lowered and raisedby the lost motion of the carriage handleduring the rest periods of the carriage and preparatory to reversing the movement thereof.

While the platen roller is in the raised'position, paper, or a suitable card, is inserted between the platen roller and a yieldable pressure rollerwhere it is engaged and aligned by a rotary margin bar arranged to rotate about the platen roller. The handle is then operated preparatory to moving the carriage to complete the printing operation, and the lost motion of the carriage handle simultaneously lowers the platen roller and rotates the margin bar to carry. the paper around the platen roller and into parallel alignment with the printing surface, the platen'roller being rotated during its downward move-' ment so as to feed thepaper by engagement with the yieldable'pressure roller. The rotary margin bar moves somewhat faster than the paper is-fed, and therefore, :the paper will be-released therefrom as soon as it is in parallel alignment with the printing surface, and the margin bar-will continue its rotation to a position to allow the final downward movement ofthe-platen roller to press the paper snugly against the printing surface.

The above mentioned arrangement provides a self contained paper feeding and paper aligning unit which may be completely assembled and then inserted in the carriage frame. thereby providing an inexpensive constructiomand a reduction in assembly cost. 7 I 7' A desirable feature of the present invention is the provision of a completely automatic margin-controlling paper feed and a suitable paper stop and paper guide coopriage of the duplicating machine and automatically operable by the single means operating the carriage.

I also provide means whereby the paper feeding operation is completed, before the movement of the carriage begins and wherein the paper feeding operation is controlled erating therewith, all incorporated in the cara by the same directional movement of the handle controlling the carriage.

Another desirable feature is the provision of an automatically operable margin bar and paper stop which is always out of contact with the printing surface and which will not interfere in any way with the operation of the carriage or the movement of the platen roller.

My invention also includes a rotary margin bar and paper aligning means which will automatically guide the paper into parallel aligned relation with the printing surface, thereby preventing injury to the gelatin when the paper is delivered to the surface.

Further objects will appear from the detailed description and the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a portion of a duplicating machine, in which one embodiment of my invention is illustrated;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view through the carriage and printing bed and taken on a line corresponding substantially to line 22 of Fig. 1, with the platen roller and handle in lowered printing position;

Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view similar to that shown in Fig. 2, with the platen roller and operating parts in raised position;

Fig. 4 is an expanded perspective view of the operating parts of the carriage, all of the parts beingshown in longitudinally expanded V alignment except the margin bar which is moved laterally for purposes of illustration; Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the relative position of the margin bar when the platen roller is in raised position and the means for retaining the margin bar in paperengaging position until the platen roller is lowered into axial alignment with the margin bar and into engagement with the paper inserted between the platen roller and the pressure roller;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic'view illustrating.

the relative position of the platen roller, the pressure roller and the margin bar when the parts are in printing position relative to the gelatinized surface of the printing bed;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view'similar to that shownin Fig. 5 with the platen roller in raised position for the insertion of paper and the margin bar in position to receivethe P p Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view, similar to Figs. 5 and 6, with the platen roller in partly lowered position and after feeding has been accomplished and with the paper in parallel alignment with the gelatin surface and in a position to be released by the further movement of the margin bar;

Fig. 8 is a top plan view of the printing bed, portions being broken away for pur poses of illustration, and

Fig. 9 is a sectional view taken substantial- 1y on line 99 of Fig. 8 and illustrates the self-aligning bed plate supporting means.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the embodiment shown comprises the side frame members 1 and 2 on which is supported a printing bed plate 3 having a gelatinized printing surface 4 thereon. The gelatinized surface usually comprises a band or ribbon which is wound on spools mounted at each end of the machine and by which the ribbon may be moved over the printing plate and secured in any desired position thereon. The band may be wound from one spool to another and stretched over the printing bed to provide a new and unused printing surface. The spools are not shown as they form no part of the present invention.

A carriage 5 is supported for longitudinal movement over the printing bed and comprises a rectangular frame including side bars 6 and end plates 7 and 8, to which the side bars are secured. The carriage is preferably made of comparatively heavy sheet metal, the end plate 7 forming a downwardly eX- tending bracket provided with outwardly eX-. tending bearings 9 which are preferably formed around a guide rod 10, which is longitudinally supported adjacent the side frame member 1; The bearings 9 are provided with suitable bearing bushings 11. The alignment of the rod 10 provides for the accurate movement of the carriage back and forth over the printing bed, and the bearings thereon also allow the carriage to be raised from the printing surface by rotation on the guide rod. The opposite end of the carriage is supported on the end frame 2 by means of rollers 12 which rest on the frame and are pivoted on the end plate 8. By this construction, the carriage may be moved back and forth over the printing surface or raised for inspection of the gelatin. Adjustable stops 10" on the guide rod 10 limit the movement of the carriage as desired.

A rock shaft 13 is pivotally mounted in the carriage end plates 7 and 8 by means of suitable bearing screws 14 and is provided with arms 15 secured thereto for supporting a platen roller 16, the platen roller shaft eX- tensions 17 being pivotally mounted in the arms. A handle 18 is secured to the rock shaft 13 and a latch 19 is pivoted thereon. the latch being provided with a pin 20 for engagement with a stop 21 when the handle is pushed forward to move the platen roller downward to the printing position. The stop 21 is secured to the side bar 6, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. A spring 22 retains the latch in engaged position and the platen roller may be raised from the printing surface to the position shown in Fig. 3 by releasing the latch from the stop 21 against the tension of the spring 22. p

A rotary margin bar 28, comprising a curved plate 24., is provided with end plates having outwardly extending bearing members 26 pivotally mounted in the holes 27 in suitable pressure roller supporting links 28 and in engaged alignment with the platen roller shaft extensions 17 the shaft extensions being engaged in angularly-disposed slots 29 in the margin bar end plates 25.. A pressure roller 30 is provided withreduced bearing extensions 31 and is rotatably mounted in elongated holes 32 in the links 28. Bushings 33 are mounted on the pressure roller extensions 31, reduced portions 33a of the bushings being engaged for lateral movement in bayonet slots 34 in the carriage end plates 7 and 8. Pins 336 on the end'plates are engaged in slots 330 in one side of the bushings I and springs 35 are connected to the opposite side of the bushings and to pins 35a on the end plates. This construction and arrangement of parts provides a yielding pressure roller mounted in the links 28 and which roller will be normally held against forward movement when the platen roller is raised by the engagement of the reduced portions 33a of the bushings in the bayonet slots 34.

It will be noted from Fig. 6 that when the platen roller is in raised position, it is out of engagement with the pressure roller, and paper or cards may be inserted between the platen and pressure rollers, the pressure roller being limited in its forward movement by the slots 34, as previously mentioned.

Pins 36 and36a are secured in the end frames 7 and 8. andfextend through clearanceslots 37 in the adjacent platensupporting arms 15. These pins are engaged in slots 38 in the margin bar'end plates 25, the slots being so positioned as to quickly rotate the margin bar in opposite directions during the upward and downward movement of .the platen roller; themargin bar is provided with a shoulder 39 and a forwardly extending flange 40 to receive .andengage a card or paper 41 when it is inserted between the platen roller and pressure roller, as shown in Fig. 6. The margin bar 23' is limited in its movement and held in spaced relation with the platen roller when in the raised posi tion, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6, due to the limited movement of the pressure roller in the slots 34, and the engagement of the extensions 31 with the ends of the elongated holes 32 in links 28. The slots 29 in the margin bar end bearings and notches 42 in the pressure roller supporting links 28 are brought into alignment during the upward movement of the platen roller and allow the platen roller to be raised above the limit of movement of the margin bar (see Figs. 3 and 4 The slots 32 in the pressure roller links 28 allow the pressure roller to move laterally by the pressure of the platen during its downward movement.

In order that the platen roller may be rotated during its downward movement to feed the paper by rotary engagement therewith and by the yielding pressure of the pressure roller, the pin 36 extends through the margin bar slot 38 and into a position to engage one of a plurality of cams 43 which are radially disposed and secured to the end of the platen roller. These cams 43 are so disposed as to provide a plurality of radially disposed slots therebetween, in one of which the pin 36 is engaged when the platen roller is raised, as shown in Fig. 6.

After the paper 41 has been inserted between the platen and pressure rollers, where it is guided by a suitable'paper table 44,- the platen roller will be rotated in the direction of the arrow during its downward movement by the engagement of the pin against one of the cam surfaces 45, the margin bar 23 will be simultaneously rotated by the engagement of the pins 36 and 36a in the slots 38, and the paper will be moved to a, position substantially as shown in Fig. 7. It will be noted, however, that the margin bar will be prevented from rotation while the platen roller is in the extreme raised position by the engagement of the platen roller shaft extensions 17 in the margin bar slots 29, and that the margin bar will not start to rotate until the platen roller is lowered sufficiently to bring the margin bar and platen roller into axial alignment. When the platen roller is moved downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 7, the cam surface 45 will be released from the pin 36 and there will be no further feeding movement of the paper during the remainder of the downward movement. of the platen roller. However, the margin bar 23 will continue its rotation to the final position shown in Fig. 5 where the'platen roller is in printing position and in this position the carriage may be moved forward during the printing operation.

The shape and position of the slots 38 in the margin bar is such that its rotary'move end plates and arranged to be engaged by the arms 15. r 1

.Due to the inequalities in the gelatin surface, it is desirable to'provide a self-aligning relation between the printing bed 3 and the platen roller. To accomplish this, I provide a self-aligning printing bed, as shown in Figs. 8 and 9, in which the gelatin band or ribbon 4 extends over suitable rollers 48, which are supported in the end frames 1 and 2 and in alignment with the bed plate 3. The bed plate is supported at each corner on compensating levers 49 which are pivoted at 50 on the side frames. The opposite ends of the levers rest on the frame supporting cross bars 51, against which they are yieldingly held by means of springs 52.

When the carriage is passed over the printing bed during the printing operation, the compensating levers and. springs allow the bed plate to accurately and automatically align with the platen roller to provide an even pressure therebetween. The limited downward movement of the platen roller prevents excessive downward pressure.

The carriage may be operated at any point on the printing bed to align the copy sheets with any previously positioned impression, onthe printing surface, by means of the ad justable stops 1042 on the carriage guide rod 10. These stops may be adjusted to limit the carriage movement so that the margin bar will provide a suitable margin at any desired position.

While I have described but one embodiment of my invention, it will be obvious that modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I desire, therefore, to be limited only by the scope of the prior art and the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1s:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a printing bed, a platen roller arranged to travel over said bed, a margin bar pivoted substantially in axial alignment with said platen roller, means for moving said platen roller to and from said bed, means to rotate said margin bar during the to and from movement of said platen roller, and means for rotating said platen roller during its downward movement.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a printing bed, a platen roller arranged to travel back and forth over said bed, means for raising and lowering said roller, a margin bar movable into and out of paper receiving position simultaneously with the movement of said platen roller, and means for rotating said platen roller during its downward movement.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a printing bed, a carriage arranged to travel over said bed, a platen roller on said carriage, means for raising and lowering said platen roller and means for automatically rotating said roller during its downward movement, and means for automatically locking said roller against rotation while in the raised position.

4:. A device of the character described, comprising a printing bed, a carriage arranged to travel over said bed, a platen roller on said carriage, means for raising and lowering said roller, a movable margin bar, and a single means for automatically moving said margin bar and rotating said platen roller during the downward movement of said roller.

5. In a duplicating machine, a carriage mounted to travel over a printing bed, a carriage operating handle having a lost motion in the direction of movement of said carriage, a platen roller arranged to be raised and lowered by the lost motion of said handle, a yieldable pressure roller cooperating with said platen roller to feed papertherebetween during the downward movement of said platen roller, and'means for positively rotating one of said rollers during the lost motion movement of said handle.

6. A duplicating machine, comprising a printing bed, a carriage arranged to travel over said bed, a platen roller on said carriage, a margin bar, means for moving said platen roller and said margin bar to and from said bed, and means on said carriage for automatically rotating said margin bar during the upward movement of said bar and said platen roller and for locking said platen roller against rotation in the raised position and for rotating said platen roller during its downward movement.

7. A duplicating machine comprising a printing bed, a carriage arranged to travel over said bed, a platen roller on said carriage and arranged to be raised and lowered relative to said bed, a plurality of cams on said platen roller, and means on said carriage to engage said cams to lock said platen roller against rotation in the raised position and to rotate said roller during a part of its downward movement.

8. In a duplicating machine, a frame, a pluralityof levers pivoted on. said frame, a printing bed plate supported on the ends of said levers, a stop means to limit the upward movement of said bed, yielding means for retaining said plate normally in raised pos tion, a carriage arranged to travel over said bed, a platen roller on said carriage. and means for retaining a constant pressure of the platen roller against said bed during its movement thereover.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

LOUIS J. SAUER. 

